From the Drawing Table to the Chef’s Table

Josephine Z. Situ is a multidisciplinary artist and chef. Her work spans art, food, and ritual, and she was named Laguna Art Museum’s Founder’s Circle Artist of the Year in 2024.

CO FOUNDER PROJECTS

Co-founder of brands exploring nature, art, food, and community.

Cover of a coloring book titled "The accidental naturalist" with floral and animal illustrations including butterflies, hummingbirds, a ram, a deer, and various flowers and plants.
Coloring book titled "The accidental naturalist" with illustrations of wildlife including birds, an octopus, a frog, starfish, sea urchins, and various plants. There are colored pencils laying on the book, and the page features a sun or moon in the background.

Co-founder
Brooks Street Books

Year
2016, 2017

Two women in a colorful Asian-themed restaurant or cafe decorated with traditional artwork and a neon sign. One woman is standing and serving or arranging food, while the other is sitting and taking a photo. There is a large leafy plant and a glass refrigerator on the left.
Three people standing together in front of a colorful wall decorated with Asian art and neon red Chinese characters. The group includes two men and one woman, all smiling. The man on the left has a beard, is wearing a black T-shirt and green pants. The woman in the middle has black hair, is wearing a light blue denim jacket and jeans. The man on the right has gray hair, is wearing a black T-shirt, floral pants, and a pink cap.

Year
2023

Co-founder
Mo Mi Mei

  • "Jo is both priestess and artist. She has a gift for channeling the spirit of your project and bringing it into visual form with beauty and reverence. Her art vibrates with the power of her lived wisdom, and it is this energetic vibration that transmutes her art into potent medicine."

    Eileen R, Founder of Our Scared Women

  • "Jo has been a dream to co-create with. She listens deeply with her heart and soul to channel images that speak more than words. She deeply honors divine timing which allows the true image to reveal itself. I’m ever so grateful! "

    - Liza E, Founder of Mother Mountain

  • "Jo met me where I was in my creative process and nurtured a deeper vision of my logo and brand. I looked forward to every meeting and was instantly comfortable with the creative process. Jo’s experience, knowledge and abilities brought into being an exciting multitude of brand possibilities for my portfolio along with options that worked with my budget and overall concept. I highly recommend Jo for logo artistry, organizational, brand concept and marketing."

    - Jennifer B, Founder of Laguna Farm Goat

  • "It is so refreshing to work with Jo. Her talent is matched with a deep understanding of community needs and the way her gifts can positively inspire others. It is a joy to work with her in a museum setting for all these reasons and more!"

    – Victoria G. , Deputy Director, Laguna Art Museum 

Press Highlights

Select press and media highlights spanning art, food, and entrepreneurship.

Portrait of Jo Situ Allen, a woman with long dark hair, wearing a white crocheted top, sitting against a white background with pink floral and butterfly artistic illustrations, and text indicating she is the 2024-2025 Artist of the Year at Laguna Art Museum.

Laguna Art Museum

Group of six diverse people, five women and one boy, sitting on bar stools and one boy standing, laughing and talking in a bright room with white brick walls and large mirrors.

Fashion MAMAs Speaker

A woman with long black hair smiling and touching her hair with her hand. She has a light skin tone and is in an indoor setting.

gorjana

Three people standing in front of colorful Asian-themed artwork, with two men on either side and a woman in the middle, all with arms crossed.

Culture OC

ART

Contact JO

Select projects and collaborations with brands, cultural institutions, and private clients (Laguna Art Museum, Holi Frog, The Maybourne, Our Sacred Women, Folklore Studio, Eat Like An Artist, Brook Street Books and private commissions).

FOOD

Contact JO

Select culinary projects and collaborations rooted in spirit, community and sacred communion (Mo Mi Mei, Folklore Studio, the Shift, Lu France, and private dinners).

Contact JO